No bail for suspect in fatal Pennsylvania cop shooting

By Ian Simpson

(Reuters) - The suspect in the fatal shooting last week of a Pennsylvania police officer was being held without bail on Tuesday after his arrest in Pittsburgh following a massive manhunt, authorities said.

Police had been looking for Rahmeal Holt, 29, since New Kensington Police Officer Brian Shaw was gunned down late on Friday after a traffic stop and foot chase in the small town about 20 miles northeast of Pittsburgh.

"He was on the run, that's for sure, from the minute the shots were fired," and moved from place to place to avoid capture, Westmoreland County District Attorney John Peck told reporters.

Peck said Holt, who has a lengthy criminal record, was arrested on Tuesday after police received tips from informants. A magistrate ordered Holt held without bail on murder and weapons charges.

Shaw, 25, had been a New Kensington officer for less than a year. His shooting led to a sweeping manhunt by law enforcement agencies backed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a $55,000 reward was offered for Holt's capture.

Shaw is believed to have tried to stop the car, a Jeep, in which Holt was a passenger after it went through a stop sign, Peck said.

Holt jumped from the vehicle as it was moving and Shaw gave chase. Surveillance video showed that Holt turned on the officer in a church parking lot and shot at least six times, hitting Shaw multiple times, the prosecutor said.

Shaw, who died in hospital, managed to give investigators the car's license plate number and its driver was arrested on Sunday. The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review also said several associates and Holt family members were charged with hindering apprehension.

A police spokesman could not be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson in Washington; Editing by Susan Thomas)